Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-03-30
MEXICAN MANNERS.
Characteristic Gestures and Gallant
ries or the People.

i
and gestures. and many OF them ex-
hihit coHrtly grace and profound gall
lantry which, If amusing toa foreigner,
Is also worthy OF admiration. A lady
who has travelled in all parts of the re-
public and made study Of these na-
tional peeuliarities recently described
them to your correspondent, and many
OF her observations were very interest
ing. She said:
"When any one falls down it is cut
tOmary to call out: Come here and III
pick you up or to express the same
sentiment by a gesture. The hand is
held up vertically, palm outward, about
level with the face. The fingers are
then bent down rapidly and in the di-
rection Of the person addressed, the mo-
tion being directly the reverse Of beck
oning. Tossing the chin upward does
not imply annoyance, as in most coun-
tries. or simply no, as in many Euro
pean countries. II IS simply an equiv
alent in Mexico for What dOyOu want2'
or Il don't understand Foreigners
who try to rid themselves OF the i'm
portunitles Of beggars by this signal.
naturally increase their trials rather
than bring them to speedy termiua-
tion.
The Mexican of refinement has verJ
peculiar method of Struggling his
shoulders. He raises his shoulders
slightly, stretches his arms down at his
sides, hands open and palms out, places
his head trife on one side, uplifts his
eyebrows and pulls his mouth down at
the corners. These elaborate motions
signify doubt. uncertainty, difference
OF opinion or Il told you so.' This is
the fashionable manner Of expressing
triumph on being proved correct in re-
gard to a prophecy or an argument.
Instead OF tapping the pocket to III
dicate money or its influence, the Mez-
lean holds up his thumb and fore
finger, curved as if encircling a coin
The token o. threat of corporal punish
meut is Slight, lateral, horizontal
movement of the hand, similar to the
turn it takes in the act OF beating eggs
with fork. The phrase "a screw
loose is illustrated ty boring motion
of the index finger against the temple,
but indicating not an alteration OF the
mind, as with Americans, but OF the
temper. When a Mexican wishes TO
denote a lot OF people he brings to-
gether the tips OF all the fingers Of one
hand, to represent crowdlng. The
first time l ever saw this gesture-the
holding up of the hand vertically, and
thrusting 1t forward two or three
times with repellant CT protesting
motion-was at party, where lady
who had held another'S fan during a
dance offered to return it, when the
owner, seeing that her friend was using
the little implement OF challenge, ln-
sisted that she retain it. Not word
was spokeI-the hand said it all. The
same gesture is used TO imply: Keep
your seat Do not disturb yourself
and the like.
"There is a sign of greeting usel in
the City of Mexico and the southern
part of the republic that l have never
seen seen in the north nor on the
western slope, where the bow still
rules. At the capital an acquaintance,
whether gentleman or lady, in saluting
one of either sex, lifts the open hand,
palm toward ones self, and waves the
fingers, or often only the two middle
ones. 1t rather startles a foreigner at
first, but it is really very pretty and
graceful mode of greeting. have OBJ
served that it is most used when ssll-
ting from little distance. as across
the street, and it no doubt came into
use because of the density OF traffic, IN
which the bow might pass unper-
caIved.
1.-THE Mexicans are very much gwen (,
TO hand shaking. and they are emil
nently friendly and cordial race. 1t 4
is the fashion among Americans To .
call their politeness superficial and in I
sincere. / have not found it so, but l
do admit that Its formality is at times
a little iEconvenient. For instance.
when one Is in haste to catch a train
or meet an appointment, one cannot
rush away with a hasty so long, 1t
would violate the conveDtlona!lties to
depart without exchanging the custom
airy elaborate farewells with each indl-
yidual member of the circle. Then,
In passing through door, there Is al
most invariably a contest or courtesy
as to who shall go first. !
''The proper demonstration OF fare
well between Mexican women IS the
light embrace, emphasized in the north
by each patting with her right hand
the others shoulder; in the City OF
and thereabOuts by Kiss on
either cheek. Between women and
men, a bow and handshake, or the
bow alone, Is the correct thing, al :
though in the interior the proylncials 4
employ at meeting and parting a modi-
led form of the embrace, between (
persons of the opposite as well as OF
the same sex. More than once my I
breath has been taken away by hand 4,
some young hacendado meeting me ]
literally with open arms. To my .
mind there is nothing prettier than
this embrace, and tue warm-neartea =
palmadita, or pat on the back. betw6e e1 .
two men who are friends, particularly |
between an ED man and young man
"HandclappIng is very common in
Mexico, and In its oriental sense of ,
1t is difficnlt to account ,
for all the peculiarities of Mexicans In
he matter of gestures and manners.
Some of their excessive gallantry is
evidently q copy from, and improve
nent on. the French, and this hand
,lapping is clearly derived from the
MoOrs through the Spaniards. 1t is
recognized as a call all over the re-
public, although about the national
,apital 1t has been pretty well sup
,lanted 10y a peculiar, disagreeahle
which always sets my
eeth on edge. believe this about ex-
lausts the gestures of general usage;
If course there are infinitely numerous '
igns of special and arbitrary signid- I
.ance. The Mexicans, as rule, are
Idepts at expression by this means. {
''As have already touched on mo-
ions and manifestations not strictly to
,e classed as gestures, 1 might strain a {
,oint and put In the general list the i
,erformance which, from its ursine 1
rgularity and monotony, is known as s
el oso, or, playing the bear,' i
md which means the fixed promenade
# an enamored youth over short r
,eat, before or beneath the window Of :
re adored object, In which he spends /
s many hours day as his leisure will I